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Visualizing a Vast World

U-Idaho professor helps develop website that brings the tree of life to life

By Tara Roberts

Earth is home to more than 2 million known species, interconnected across millions of years of evolution.

To map relationships among species, biologists build large and elaborate phylogenies, sections of the tree of life. But how can millions of connections among millions of creatures be visualized in any accessible way?

OneZoom, a new website, turns a simple illustration of the tree of life into an interactive interface that anyone can explore by zooming deeper into the branches to reveal further detail. The tree’s branches represent evolutionary connections through time, while its leaves show identified modern species. The three trees now posted on the site represent mammals, birds and amphibians.